DIWATA’S SONG

Tracing back to pre-colonial Philippines, Chloe Caday retells stories of her motherland through Diwata’s Song, honouring her culture that is deeply rooted in folklore and mythology. Within this exhibition, Caday focuses particularly on the diwatas—spiritual beings that guard and nurture forests, caves, land or bodies of water. As a result, the paintings are a culmination of stories about these goddesses of the moon, stars, waters and sunrise, stories of forbidden loves, midnight mystique and the peculiar allure of flowers in bloom.

By deeply exploring these stories of the diwatas, Caday draws on the parallels between folklore and traditional environmental practices—an intrinsic link that can control the ways in which we react to and experience our natural surroundings. Understanding the stories of the diwatas and their strong connection with their environment can help guide our understanding on how we conserve and protect our land in the modern world, utilising the knowledge of traditional ecological practices of our ancestors. Through the act of nurturing these centuries-old stories today, we can then bring further attention to how folklore can contextualise some of the beliefs, knowledge, attitude, and culture that are often challenged amongst diasporic communities.